Who is Chandler Halderson, what did he do and where is he now? He is convicted for murdering his parents and pretending they were missing. His family, siblings, lover, and more explored.
On July 7, 2021, Chandler reported his parents missing.
At the time, he claimed Bart and Krista headed to their cabin in Langlade County, Wisconsin, for the Fourth of July weekend. However, Chandler stated that his mother and father didn’t make it back by the time they said they would.
Chilling Snapchat clue emerged which led to his arrest after Chandler Halderson killed his parents and dismembered their bodies in Wisconsin murder.
Chandler’s older brother Mitchell testified against him in court and debunked all lies he had spilled.
Who is Chandler Halderson?
Chandler Halderson is a young man currently facing life is prison sentence for murdering his parents.
He was born in 2000 to Bart Halderson and Krista Halderson.
He has an older brother named Mitchell Halderson who is 18 month older than him.
Chandler was in college studying for an IT degree and living at home.
Before his arrest, Chandler Halderson was in a relationship with his girlfriend Cathryn (Cat) Mellender. Whether they’re still together remains unknown.
How was Chandler Halderson caught?
Snapchat led to the arrest and conviction of a man for the murder and dismemberment of his parents.
Chandler Halderson, 23, reported his parents, Bart and Krista Halderson, missing in July 2021.
Halderson was living with his parents in Windsor, Wisconsin, outside Madison, and told police that did not return after they visited the family cabin during the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
During the investigation into Bart and Krista’s disappearance, Chandler’s girlfriend, Cathryn (Cat) Mellender, allowed investigators to gather data from her phone, according to CBS’ 48 Hours.
Detective Sabrina Sims heard that Mellender would track Halderson’s real-time location using Snapchat because he had cheated on her in the past.
Mellender took a screenshot on the app of Chandler’s location early on July 3, 2021. He was in a remote area near the Wisconsin River when his parents were missing.
When detectives searched the area, they found the remains of Chandler’s mother Krista.
Investigators also found the remains of Chandler’s father Bart at a farm about 20 miles from the Halderson home.
The farm owner told detectives that she saw Chandler coming out of the farm’s woodline.
When they checked the area, they found Bart. He was shot at least twice in the back.
What was Chandler Halderson charges?
Chandler was charged with the murder and dismemberment of his parents as well as lying to police.
He pleaded not guilty and went on trial in January 2022.
Prosecutors said that Chandler killed his parents because they found out he was lying to them about failing out of college.
Chandler also told them he was offered a job at Elon Musk‘s aerospace company, SpaceX. This also turned out to be a lie, according to the prosecution.
Prosecutors believed that on the day of the murders, Chandler’s father Bart scheduled to meet his son at the college he claimed to be attending.
Security video from the Haldersons’ neighbor on the day that prosecutors believe Bart and Krista were murdered was shown to the jury.
A flickering light from a window in the Halderson home could be seen in the footage. The light was from their fireplace, according to prosecutors.
Over 200 human bone fragments were found in the fireplace, a forensic expert testified.
Chandler’s defense team argued that the prosecution lacked enough evidence to prove their case, however after two hours of deliberations, a jury found Chandler guilty on all charges.
His full list of charges included first-degree intentional homicide, lying to investigators, mutilating a corpse, and hiding a corpse.
Where is Chandler Halderson’s brother Mitchell Halderson now?
Mitchell is the older brother murderer Chandler.
Mitchell testified that in the time leading up to the murders, he believed his brother was working and taking online classes, but both were untrue. Mitchell was also questioned about his parents’ life insurance policy because the brothers were named beneficiaries. However, he maintained he had nothing to do with the murder.
Mitchell said it was unusual for his parents to leave without informing him. He added, “My mom would reach out any chance she could, so she would’ve told me.” But Mitchell couldn’t reach his parents over the phone either. So, on July 8, 2021, he drove about three hours to the cabin and realized it was locked. There were no signs of anyone having visited recently. Mitchell went there with the authorities, who gained entry into the house, but Bart and Krista weren’t inside.
Chandler had also told the police that his parents left with cash and liquor, suggesting they might have gone to a casino. However, Mitchell testified that his parents weren’t gamblers. Regarding his conversations with Chandler, he said his younger brother played video games and mentioned using SXS, a rifle, in these games. It was reported that Chandler received the gun from an online friend in June 2021.
During Chandler’s sentencing, Mitchell’s fiancée made a victim impact statement, saying she had lost her future mother- and father-in-law.
Since then, Mitchell has maintained a low profile. He has a statistics degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In the past, Mitchell worked for the local school district and at a healthcare company. After that, he was employed as a Technical Problem Solver for a software development firm, holding that position until the start of 2022. Mitchell currently lives in Madison and enjoys cooking and spending time with his pet dog.
Where is Chandler Halderson now?
Chandler was sentenced in March 2022 to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
In April 2023, a judge vacated his two convictions for hiding a corpse as the jury should not have been given the option of convicting Chandler on charges of hiding and also mutilating a corpse.
Under the state statute, someone can only be convicted of hiding a corpse when the evidence is not strong enough to hold up a conviction for mutilating a corpse, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
Even with these convictions vacated, Chandler is still serving a life sentence without parole for the murder and dismemberment of his parents.
During Chandler’s sentencing, he asked for a lawyer to help him appeal his case.
“It’s not that I do not have feelings, it’s that I was warned to not show them due to the scrutiny of this case,” he said as he broke his silence in court after not testifying during his trial.
He did get a new lawyer and has filed an appeal.
48 Hour’s full episode of The Snapchat Clue is reairing on Saturday at 9pm on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.